Update: ExxonMobil Refinery Fire Injures 12

18 Apr 13

posted by
Arnold & Itkin

According to ABC News, the fire that erupted on Wednesday at an ExxonMobil refinery in Southeast Texas has sent 12 contract workers to the hospital with serious injuries. The Beaumont Fire Department claims that three of those who were injured were critically burned, while others suffered less-threatening but painful burn wounds or broken bones.

An ExxonMobil Spokeswoman says that the fire happened at about 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning in a process unit that was shut down for maintenance. The unit was used to process crude oil into refined products, but somehow caught fire when it was under maintenance and caused the 12 contract workers nearby to suffer serious injuries.

The company says that the fire was brought under control quickly, and that it has already been extinguished. The refinery personnel put out the fire before the Beaumont fire department units even arrived. ExxonMobil says that all employees and contract workers near the area of the accident were accounted for.

The ExxonMobil spokeswoman who has been announcing updates about the situation says that ExxonMobil is extremely sorry that this situation occurred and the company plans to conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The refinery where the accident accrued is a part of a 24,000 acre complex that is near downtown Beaumont.

The city of Beaumont is about 90 miles northeast of Houston. Reports show that the ExxonMobil refinery processes about 365,000 barrels of crude oil every single day and produces about 2.8 billion gallons of gasoline every year. There are about 2,000 employees at the refinery and about 1,000 contract workers.

At present, there is not clear reason why the fire started. Seven of the twelve injured workers were taken to Baptist Hospital in Beaumont and three of the workers were later transferred to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston because of their burn wounds.

At last report, one individual was in critical condition and two others were in stable condition but need additional treatments. The four workers that remained at Baptist Hospital were in stable condition at last update.

ExxonMobil says that they are not aware of the conditions of the other five workers who were harmed in the accident. These five were all taken to the Christus Hospital-St. Elizabeth in Beaumont and were being treated for their wounds at this location. If you have been injured in this tragic oil refinery accident, you have the right to seek workers compensation for your injuries.

Whether you are suffering from burn injuries, a traumatic brain injury, or another injury, you need to talk to an attorney at the firm today for more information. A lawyer at Arnold & Itkin may be able to help you get the maximum amount of compensation for your industrial injury, so talk to a Houston personal injury lawyer at the firm today! If you want to learn more about this incident read the original blog here.

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